INSIDE ACTRESS SARAH CHRONIS: 'TOTALLY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE WITH COLOR'
SarahChronis is a versatile actress and mother of two beautiful children. Together with her boyfriend, actor KayGreidanus , she recently moved from the busy Jordaan to the slightly quieter Amsterdam North . We visit Sarah at her home for a conversation about her interior style, stepping out of her comfort zone and the color choices she made. The family lives in a beautiful monumental building, which also brings with it the necessary challenges and opportunities. “It is a very old house with crooked wooden floors and a lot of wooden beams."
LAB Wallpaint Terra Pink no. 102 (walls behind bed), LAB Wallpaint and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (other walls, beams, skirting boards and frames ).
CAN YOU TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THE STYLE OF YOUR INTERIOR?
"Originally, the whole house was white. I love white myself, but I wanted to add a bit more color to the children's rooms to stimulate the children's creativity. And I also just think it's cozy."
“For my son, we wanted a green tint because of the amount of light. He is such a tough boy and only wants to play outside and climb trees. Green fits in perfectly with that.”
"With my daughter, I felt strongly that it shouldn't be pink, more terracotta. She's not really a girly girl either. We also like terracotta colours ourselves, so we wanted to keep that style. The funny thing is that I'm quite a boy-mom myself. When people around me heard that I was having a daughter, they assured me that I would go for flowers and pink. I firmly answered 'no' to that. Just look at her room; it's quite pink," says Sarah, laughing.
LAB Wallpaint and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (walls, ceiling, beams and skirting board) (left). LAB Wallpaint Terra Pink no. 102 (niche), LAB Wallpaint and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (other walls, ceiling, beams, skirting boards and frame) (right).
WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION FOR YOUR INTERIOR?
Sarah gets her inspiration mainly from Pinterest. “I also regularly held fans against the wall. I also really enjoyed visiting your concept store, because together you make a plan that really suits the house, the furniture and our style. But ultimately you have to look inside the house to be able to see what looks good with the interior and the light. There is a different colour on every wall. I also took large colour samples of yours home to hold against the wall. Is this cool? Is this cool? Those large colour samples really help you to assess the colour at home.”
“I also really enjoyed visiting your concept store, because together you create a plan that really suits the house.”
LAB Wallpaint Terra Pink no. 102 (wall) and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (skirting) (left). LAB Wallpaint and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (walls, ceiling, beams, skirting boards and frame) (right).
IS THERE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR PREVIOUS HOME AND THIS HOME?
Sarah indicates that the houses are very similar. “This house is just a slightly larger version of the house in the Jordaan. There we also had a white floor, white walls and wooden beams. Apparently we like that.”
“But there too we were looking for contrast and colour.” There are green plants in terracotta pots everywhere in the house. “Funnily enough, terracotta keeps coming back. That pink, old pink, and green actually too. We deliberately brought those colours into this house. By the way, it is a monumental building, that also has its charm. And yes, also a lot of worries: everything is crooked and wonky. But a house like that has already been through so much. And you can feel that too.”
LAB Wallpaint Terra Pink no. 102 (niche), LAB Wallpaint and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (other walls, ceiling, frames, beams, skirting boards and door).
HAVE YOU STEPPED OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE WITH THE ROOMS?
“Yes! Because I love white, pastels and calm.” Despite that, Sarah has opted for the neutral-but-not-white shade in many places:Strong Garlic No. 92 . This color looks great with warm tones, such as orange and red. Strong Garlic No. 92 is also a perfect companion for blue and green tones. As a base color, it creates connection on the upper floor and gives an extra warm glow to the children's rooms.
“When your painters were here, I couldn't resist asking them to do a little bit of it first.”
“We walked out of your concept store with all dark colors. I immediately hesitated again, but Kay was a big fan of these colors. When your painters were there, I couldn’t resist asking them to do a small piece first,” Sarah says laughing. “And now I’m so happy with it. This gives much more atmosphere and power.”
WHICH ROOM HAS RECEIVED THE MOST ATTENTION WHEN STYLING THE INTERIOR?
“Novi’s room, I think.” When you enter this room, you are welcomed by a warm botanical interior. “In the room, we closed off a wall, plastered it ourselves and painted it of course. It is also a large space with many sloping walls, so that is quite difficult to dress.” The nuance of Strong Garlic is a perfect match with Zanzibar no. 852. This shade of green almost falls under the neutrals.
LAB Wallpaint Zen Garden no. 680 (wall behind bed), LAB Wallpaint and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (other walls, ceiling, beams, and skirting boards) (left). LAB Wallpaint Zanzibar no. 852 (wall moldings), LAB Wallpaint and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (other walls, ceiling, skirting boards, beams, and frame) (right).
The natural effect is enhanced by combining it with another shade of green: Zen Garden no. 680. This blend of ecru, pale black and reseda green provides a natural balance and looks great in a botanical interior. A real cool children's room!
LAB Wallpaint Zen Garden no. 680 (wall behind cupboard and bed), LAB Wallpaint and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (other walls, ceiling, skirting boards, beams and window frames).
WHICH CHILDREN'S ROOM IS YOUR FAVORITE?
“That is Nimué’s room. I think that room has become so cozy.” The combination ofStrong Garlic no. 92 with Terra Pink no. 102 gives a warm feeling. Terra Pink is a pink shade, but a grayed, warm color with a slightly earthy undertone. “The room is more feminine and powerful, than girly. But above all really cozy. Exactly what suits Nimué.”
WHAT MAKES THE HOUSE REALLY SUITABLE FOR YOU AS A FAMILY?
You will find a lot of personal accessories with beautiful stories in the house. “The paintings that you see hanging everywhere all have meanings. For example, my mother embroidered the names of my son and daughter with their dates of birth. My son's hangs above his bed, which is also the bed that I slept in when I was little.” There is also a painting above the play sofa . “This was once made by Kay's grandfather,” says Sarah. And there are more nice little elements that give the house a personal touch .
"The list with my daughter's name and birth name also hangs in her room. Almost everything here has a story. Those kinds of things are just so much fun."
LAB Wallpaint Zanzibar no. 852 (wall frames), LAB Wallpaint and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (other walls, ceiling, skirting boards and beams).
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR CREATING A COZY ATMOSPHERE?
Tip 1. Take your time
“I wanted to buy everything at once from the same store, but I returned everything. It takes time. Then you suddenly think 'oh yes, it would be nice if there was a cabinet here.' And then you go looking for a cabinet. Then you think 'a plant would look nice there.' It still takes time.”Tip 2. Ask for help
“Go to the concept store! If we hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have dared to make these choices. And just by seeing everything together there with large samples, I saw many more possibilities. I would never have thought of painting the ceiling and the beams myself. And combining all those colours. Very cool.”
"And also seek help with the painting itself. I also thought about just painting a wall. But now I've seen how beautifully you professionals do it and then you really don't want to do it yourself anymore," she says laughing.
LAB Wallpaint Zanzibar no. 852 (wall bookcase and frames), LAB Wallpaint and LAB Binnenlak Strong Garlic no. 92 (other walls, ceiling, skirting boards, beams and frames).
HAVE YOU EVER MADE THE WRONG COLOR CHOICE?
The original plan was to combine Terra Pink no. 102 withStrong Garlic no. 92 and By Juliet no. 152. “By Juliet became too pink on the wall here. Cotton candy-like. While we initially loved that shade in the concept store. So we left that color out of Nimué's room. As a result, you now feel a powerful, cozy atmosphere.”
HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU CONSIDER SUSTAINABILITY WHEN DESIGNING YOUR INTERIOR?
“I think sustainability is very important. We live in a listed building, so there is still a lot to be gained on the road to energy neutrality. We are still working hard on this, but it is a difficult process . You are not allowed to change much in such a house. We knew what we were getting into, but I really wish there were different regulations regarding listed buildings and sustainability. It is such a shame that these strict rules still apply in this day and age.”
“Furthermore, I have hardly bought any new furniture. A lot comes from Marktplaats, Vinted or second-hand from family members. That is sustainable, but I also just like it. For example, the chest in my daughter's room comes from my grandparents. I really like to bring things from the past with a story.” All those personal memories and family stories have created a warm and atmospheric interior.
LAB Wallpaint Zanzibar no. 852 (wall window), LAB Wallpaint and LAB Interior paint Strong Garlic no. 92 (other wall, beams, skirting boards and frame).
SHOP THE SARAH CHRONIS LOOK
Be inspired by the mix of warmth, personal stories and colour and create, just like Sarah Chronis, an interior where you feel at home immediately. Shop the sample pots below:
- LAB Sample jar Strong Garlic no. 92
- LAB Sample jar Zanzibar no. 852
- LAB Sample pot Zen Garden no. 680
- LAB Sample pot Terra Pink no. 102
WANT TO TRY OUT COLORS?
Then use our LAB Sample pots . With the sample pots you can test your LAB COLOUR directly on the wall or a sheet of paper and discover how the colour turns out in your home. Sample pots are only available in LAB Wallpaint . This is a matt type of paint that is intended to assess a colour. Are you hesitating between multiple colours? Then also order our colour card , large colour samples or the complete colour fan .
DO YOU WANT TO OUTSOURCE YOUR PROJECT?
Just like Sarah, have you chosen the right colour or a beautiful wallpaper, but are you dreading getting started yourself? At VESTINGH PAINT & PROJECTS you can go for a variety of painting and wallpapering jobs. Inside and outside. We are also specialised in applying wallpaper, LAB Chalk (lime paint) and LAB Cementum (concrete look). We would be happy to visit you!
Author: Laureen Schoonderbeek
Photography: Lotte van Uittert
Painting: VESTINGH PAINT & PROJECTS